Chapter 63

Zhang Jian followed Yang Hong into a narrow house. It was a small house hidden between the large pavilions, and it seemed more fitting to call it an annex to those pavilions. Inside, it was messy, as if Yang Hong lived alone. In particular, the table in the center of the room was cluttered with various scraps of paper and miscellaneous items, piled up like trash.

Yang Hong casually pushed the scraps of paper aside and asked in passing, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Without waiting for an answer, he approached the stove on one side and fiddled with it. Zhang Jian glanced around the room and sat down in a chair in front of the table, leaning back against the backrest. He tapped his fingers on the table.

"Hehe, it'll take some time for the water to boil."

Yang Hong, who had started the fire and put on the water, scratched his head awkwardly and sat down opposite Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian looked at him with a serious face, and Yang Hong, under that gaze, fidgeted with the papers on the table, hesitating. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

Seeing this, Zhang Jian spoke first. "A big deal, you said?"

Yang Hong, who had been organizing his thoughts, was startled and replied, "Yeah, this is something that will move you, Brother Zhang. It's a real big deal."

"Before that, I have a question."

"Huh? What?"

Yang Hong looked puzzled, but Zhang Jian immediately saw through his feigned expression. He stopped tapping his fingers and asked, "What's your real identity? Are you from the Dark Dragon Corps?"

"…Hehe. There's no point in hiding it now, since it's all out in the open. Yes, I'm from the Dark Dragon Corps."

Zhang Jian smiled strangely and asked again, "Do you swear loyalty to the emperor?"

At this question, a similar smile appeared on Yang Hong's face.

"Don't think too much of it. Loyalty? It means dedicating oneself wholeheartedly to someone, right? I've always given my all to the gold in my hands, and the emperor's name just happened to be on the label of that gold."

"You're loyal because the emperor pays you?"

Yang Hong shrugged and chuckled, "What else could there be? Loyalty is a two-way street. Why did Han Xin serve Emperor Gaozu? Ultimately, it was for his own advancement and the prosperity of his family. When those promises weren't fulfilled, he rebelled."

"Hmm, you and Han Xin seem quite different."

Yang Hong nodded and finished tidying up the table.

"Of course, I can't compare to that great general. I'm just a street thug who rolls coins for a living. But at least I'm not a fool like him, who gets betrayed and discarded. So, I have to take care of myself. The Dark Dragon Corps is just one of the ways I do that."

Zhang Jian chuckled and nodded. Whether it was due to his boldness or his ignorance of the empire's power, it was hard to tell. But he definitely had a bold streak, different from his usual words and actions.

"Alright, then why did you come to me this time? What are you trying to get?"

Yang Hong smiled again, a strange smile.

"This time, it's a treasure map."

Zhang Jian's face showed surprise.

"A treasure map? You mean a map to hidden treasures?"

"Exactly, a treasure map. A place where various elixirs, gold, and perhaps even a formidable martial art are buried."

Zhang Jian, who was initially surprised, let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. From the beginning, this guy seemed to always drag him into absurd situations.

"…Why are you so disappointed? It's real treasure, real elixirs and gold! And a world-renowned martial art!"

"A treasure map with gold buried. It could be real, if this were the Central Plains."

Saying this, Zhang Jian rummaged through the pile of papers and miscellaneous items on one side of the table. He caught a familiar scent.

"Many people crossed over after the discovery of the New Continent. But most of them were poor and powerless commoners. Of course, there were ancient families like the Shandong Jia, but why would they bury their treasures elsewhere? They would hide them deep within their own homes."

Zhang Jian soon found a small wooden box among the clutter. Opening it, he found half a pack of dried and crushed tobacco. Without asking Yang Hong if it was okay, he started rolling a cigarette.

"Really, it's true. Just hear me out. Once you understand, you'll see why there might be treasure here."

Zhang Jian, who had moistened the paper with his saliva and rolled the tobacco, lit it with his index finger and inhaled deeply. He then propped his feet up on the table and said, "Explain."

Yang Hong, who had been puzzled by the sight of Zhang Jian lighting the cigarette without a flame, snapped out of it and continued.

"…What? Have you heard of a person named Li Shimin?"

Zhang Jian frowned.

"Li Shimin? Emperor Taizong of Tang?"

"Emperor Taizong? Who's that?"

Zhang Jian and Yang Hong looked at each other for a moment. The smoke from Zhang Jian's cigarette was curling up in the dimly lit room.

"…I must have been mistaken. Who is Li Shimin?"

"Well, whoever Emperor Taizong is, he couldn't have been stronger than this Li Shimin. Li Shimin was the top martial artist of his time, the strongest in the world outside the Imperial Army. If he hadn't been from an ancient family, they would have found some excuse to execute him."

Li Shimin. He was born over two hundred years ago and was the top martial artist among the Li family and other ancient families. He was so skilled that he could even exchange martial arts techniques with the emperor. Many Imperial Army members were trained under his guidance.

However, he refused any official position. Despite being a great martial artist, he was too old to take on such a role. He preferred to stay at home, eat, and teach his children, finding it too burdensome. He rarely left the family compound unless it was for something significant.

"Perhaps he feared that frequent external activities would lead to false charges of treason and the destruction of his family. I think he might have hidden his martial arts skills and was eventually discovered. Otherwise, there would be no reason for such a great martial artist to become known only in middle age."

He never left his family until he died of old age. It was probably more for the sake of his children and future generations than for himself. But the problem lay with his descendants.

"Brother Zhang, have you heard of the Li family among the ancient families?"

"No."

Yang Hong grinned at the short answer.

"Right. You can't find the Li family anywhere, whether in the Central Plains or the New Continent. Li Shimin lived a secluded life until his death, but the problem was with his son. The son, who had learned martial arts from his father, was also a great martial artist, but he refused to take an official position."

From that moment, the pressure from the Imperial Army on the Li family increased. The Imperial Army accused the Li family of hiding Li Shimin's martial arts skills and harboring false ambitions. Despite denying these accusations, the Li family refused to send Li Shimin's son into service, which eventually led to the decline of the family.

"What was his name? Li Chi? Li Ji? Anyway, because of him, the Li family, once the strongest among the ancient families, began to decline. Some say he was plotting a rebellion, but I don't know. Anyway, as the family slowly declined, the New Continent was discovered. And the family head, Li Chi, who was in his middle age, gathered all the family's wealth and boarded a ship to the New Continent."

The legend began after that. Despite the family's decline, Li Chi, with all the wealth of the once-greatest family in the Central Plains and the martial arts skills of his father, a world-renowned martial artist, simply disappeared.

"…Did the ship just capsize in the middle of the journey?"

"No. There are records that he disembarked with ten carriages. But no one knows where he went after that. Some said he crossed the mountains of the New Continent and went to a distant land in the east. Others said he was killed by the Imperial Army or other family's forces and buried in the wilderness, but whatever the case."

Yang Hong leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"…There's a movement to trade a map in the current underground market of Xinchentian. And the information is that this map leads to the tomb where the Li family's wealth and Li Shimin's martial arts skills are buried."

"Do you believe that?"

Yang Hong nodded.

"I'm the only one in the Dark Dragon Corps who knows about this. At least, it's not an Imperial Army operation. I think it's worth looking into just for this."

Zhang Jian, who was smoking and looking at Yang Hong skeptically, flicked the ash and continued.

"So, what do you want to do about the map being traded in the underground market? You want to borrow my money to buy it?"

"No. Even with the rewards from the merchant guild and the martial arts alliance, you don't have enough money."

"Then what?"

Yang Hong licked his dry lips and swallowed.

"The guy who brought the map found it in an old box while robbing a farm. The kid who came to sell stolen goods in the underground market said he robbed a place… Do you know what that means? The people in that farm are probably all dead."

"…Bandits, then."

Yang Hong pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile, but his eyes were serious.

"Right. Bandits who killed and robbed innocent farmers. Regardless of why the farmer had the treasure map, do we really need to pay the full price to such a scoundrel? He killed and stole it, after all."

Zhang Jian laughed, but it was a similar smile to Yang Hong's.

"So, we should take the treasure map from him?"

"Hehe. If you've lived by taking from others, you should be prepared to be taken from."

Zhang Jian exhaled a puff of smoke and stubbed out the cigarette butt on the table.

"The level of martial arts that even the Imperial Army was wary of, and the relics of a vanished ancient family… You've really brought a big catch."

"Will you do it?"

Zhang Jian turned his head and spat out the remaining tobacco, then looked back at Yang Hong. Yang Hong had wiped away his previous smile, playfulness, and servility, and was now looking at Zhang Jian seriously.

"Eight to two."

"Brother Zhang, you want the two?"

"Is there a problem?"

"…Let's make it seven to three. After all, I brought you this information."

Yang Hong readily offered a compromise. Zhang Jian nodded and said, "Alright. But the martial arts skills are mine."

"Do as you please. I don't understand such things anyway."

Zhang Jian nodded contentedly and asked, "So, where is the bandit?"

Yang Hong slowly pushed his chair back and stood up.

"I've already figured it out. Let's go now. The bandit has been delaying the transaction to raise the price, but we can't be sure how long that will last."

Zhang Jian nodded again, picked up Yang Hong's tobacco box, and stood up. He was eager to leave Xinchentian, but he thought this might help him forget about it for a while.

* * *

"Is the information reliable?"

"It's not certain. We don't have any major sources besides the underground market. The underground market in Xinchentian is particularly weak."

"Right. We can't help it. Where is the bandit now?"

"He's staying at an inn provided by the underground market. He'll likely be accompanied by guards provided by the underground market."

"His gang will also be there, right? They provided guards?"

"You know how the underground market people are. They're meticulous about such things. They're merchants who band together to avoid taxes, so they're very thorough."

"It's a natural feeling and a natural course of action. What has the emperor and the empire done for the people of this land to justify taxing them? I understand their feelings. And because of that, I believe they will one day become our allies."

"…The leader is quite idealistic. You know they'll do anything for money, right?"

"And they're from the New Continent."

"Whatever. There's one group that stands out…"

"Who?"

"The Ji family. It seems they're the ones trying to connect the bandit with the underground market."

"The Ji family. Master said they always seek a way back to the Central Plains and will eventually cross the line. But to buy a treasure map from a mere bandit… It's a disgrace to their thousand-year history."

"Maybe not. We're not much different… Anyway, we should intercept them before they complete the transaction."

"…When is the transaction?"

"Probably… today?"

"Then we need to move now."

"Yes, leader. Let's go."

The man stood up and muttered, "The mandate of heaven for the Han is over."

"Soon, the time of the Yellow Springs will come."

They all answered in unison from the shadows and silently disappeared from the room.

* * *

Feeling good after picking up his repaired sword from the blacksmith in the morning, Ji Yunsheng went to the garden to meet someone he had been waiting for, only to feel a headache coming on and close his eyes.

"…What are you planning to buy?"

Ji Shangtian, the heir of the Ji family and known as the "Hanged Scholar" for his willingness to die for love, answered with a stern face.

"A treasure map."

"…A treasure map?"

"The treasure map where the martial arts skills of Li Shimin, the top martial artist of two hundred years ago, are buried. If it's real, it will be a great help to the family."

"…If it's real, yes."

"Of course it's real! It's a great opportunity for our family!"

Ji Yunsheng subtly opened his eyes and looked at the girl sitting next to Ji Shangtian. Her name was Shen Zhiying, Ji Shangtian's fiancée, who had also saved his life. Her cute frown was endearing, but she also looked like a troublesome child.

Seeing her face, Ji Yunsheng tried his best not to show his annoyance. He couldn't understand why he, who was disliked by the family, was stuck with these half-grown kids. Of course, he was trusted by the elders despite being from a collateral line, and he was tasked with training the family's heir, as others often commented. Ji Yunsheng tried to think of it that way.

But even so, dealing with these rookies made him boil inside.

"…Alright. Since it's a deal you've worked hard on, let's go see it. But I need to inspect the item before the transaction is completed. Just in case."

"Understood."

Ji Shangtian nodded, and soon the three of them left the garden's private room and headed towards the bustling streets of Xinchentian.

Thus, the three, each with their own intentions, moved towards the same inn.